Screw-driver.



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ERROLL G. ROWLANDS, OF RACINE, WISCONSIN.

SCREW-DRIVER.

SPECIFlGATION'foming part of Letters Patent No. 701,941, dated June 10, 1902.

Application filed June 29, 1901.

To all whom, t may concern.: l

Be itknown that I, ERRoLL G. RowLANDs,a citizen of the United States, residing at Racine, in the county of Racine and State of Wiscousin, have invented anew and useful Screw- Driver, of which the following is a specification. v

Thisinvcntion relates to screw-drivers, and has for its object to provide improved means for holding the point vof the driver in the groove of a screw,fso as to obviate slipping of the driver. It is furthermore designed to arrange for guiding the point of the driver without directly engaging the rotatable stem ofl the device and to avoid'damaging the woodwork into which a-screw is being set.

With these and other objects in view the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanyingdrawings,and particularly pointed ont in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit or-sacriiieing any of the advantages of .the invention.V

In the drawings, IFigure 1 is a side elevation of the stem portionof a screw-d river pro-A vided with the present invention, parts being broken away to show the-engagement of the driver with'a screw. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing-the device setting a screw beneath the surface.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in bothfigures ofthe draw` ings. Y l Referring to the drawings, l designates the stem of an ordinary screw-driver, which is cylindrical,as usual,andis provided with the flattened point 2, and at a suitable distance from the latter there is also provided a marginal shoulder 3, which is cylindrical in shape. Applied to the lower end `of the stem, so as to loosely embrace the shoulder thereof, is acylindrical sleeve 4, whichhas its outer end terminated short of the lower en'dV of the stem,-

their 'being an internally-screw-threaded cap l 5 fitted to the externally-screw-threaded inner or upper end of the sleeveand loosely embracing the stem above the shoulder 3, there- Serial No. 66,547. V(No model.)

- by rotatably mounting the sleeve upon-the stem.

Within the external sleeve or casing 4 there is located a shorter inner sleevev, which is `loose to slide Aendwise upon the stem and is provided with a headed pin or projection 7, extended radially outward and working in a slot S, formed longitudinally in the outer or lower end portion of the outer sleeve, whereby the inner sleeve is connectedto the outer sleeve4 andprevente'd from turning independently thereof. The pin is preferably a screw, and its head forms a finger-piece for sliding the inner sleeve within the outer sleeve Whenever required'. The outer end of the innerI sleeve 'has its bore flared outwardly for a ysuitable distance,as at 9, to form a substantially conical seatfor the reception of the head of the screw lO, which is being driven by the device. As shown in Fig. 1, the inner sleeve is norm ally projected outwardly beyond the outer sleeve and the point of the stem,.the outward limit of the sleeve being governed by the pin 7, engagng the outer end of its guide-slot. of a screw is placed in the conical seat of the outer endo'f the inner sleeve with the point of the driver-stem engaged with the groove of the screw, afterwhich the stem is rotated in any suitable manner to set the screw as usual, the outer sleeve or casing forming a handle for guiding and steadying thedevice during the operation thereof as the stem rofates independently within the' casing. As

the screw'is fed downwardly the projectedv The headv end of the inner sleeve prevents the stem from becoming displaced from the screw, and finally the saidV inner sleeve strikes the part into'which the screw is being` set and yields gradually against the tension of the helical spring 1l, embracing the stem within the external sleeve and bearing in opposite directions'against the inner end of the inner sleevel the sleeves, as it is mostly taken up by the stem and screw. To facilitate the removal of a screw, which is countersunk, the inner Sleeve is drawn inwardly by means of the finger-piece formed by the projected head of the pin 7, so that the point of the stemv may be projected or, rather, uncovered, whereby it is free to be centered in the countersink and engaged with the head of a screw, after which the sleeve is permitted to resume its normal position and the screw is removed by rotating the stem in the usual manner.

l. In a screw-driver, the combination with a rotatable stem having a beveled point, of an external sleeve rotatably embracing the stem, terminated short of the point thereof and fixed against endwise movement toward the point of the stem whereby the sleeve forms a handle for guiding the stem, and an inner endwise-slidable sleeve,wl1ich is springpressed and has its outer end provided with a screw-head seat, said inner sleeve being yieldingly connected with the external sleeve and arranged to be received wholly within the same.

2. In a screw-driver, the combination with a rotatable stem having a beveled point, of an external sleeve rotatably mounted upon the stem, terminated short of the point thereof and ixed against endwise movement toward the point of the stem and thereby forming a relatively fixed handle for guiding the stem, there being a longitudinal slot formed in the sleeve, an inner spring-pressed endwise-slidable sleeve mounted within the outer sleeve and embracing the stem, the outer end of the inner sleeve being provided with a screwhead seat, said inner sleeve normally projecting beyond the external sleeve and adapted to be depressed wholly within the same, and a guide-pin carried by the inner sleeve and working in the slot of the outer sleeve, the projected end of the pin forming a {ingerpiece for adjusting the inner sleeve.

3. In a screw-driver, the combination with a rotatable stem, having a beveled point, and a marginal shoulder, of an external sleeve rotatably embracing the shoulder and terminated short of the point of the stem, a cap applied to the inner end of the sleeve and rotatably embracing the shoulder, there being a longitudinal slot formed in the outer end portion of the sleeve, an innersleeve mounted to slide endwise upon the stem and within the outer sleeve, the outer end of the inner sleeve having a conical screw-head seat, a coiled spring embracing the stem and bearing in opposite directions against the shoulder on the stem and the inner end of the inner sleeve, and a headed pin -projected outwardly from the inner sleeve and working in the slot in the outer sleeve.

4. The combination with a screw-driver bit, of a bit-centering sleeve in which 'the bit is revolubly mounted and in which it is axially movable, a second sleeve having a limited forward movement with relation to the bit, said bit-centering sleeve normally projecting beyond the other sleeve and capable of being received wholly within the latter, and connections between the sleeves for limiting the movement of the centering-sleeve with relation to the second sleeve.

5. The combination withascrew-driverbit, of a spring-advanced bit-centering sleeve in which the bit is revolubly mounted and in which it is axially movable, a second sleeve encircling'the bit-centering sleeve and having a limited forward movement with relation to the bit, said bit-centering sleeve normally projecting beyond the other sleeve and capable of being received wholly within the latter, and connections between the sleeves forlimiting the movement of the centering-sleeve with relation to the second sleeve.

G. The combination with a screw-driver bit ofia spring-advanced bit-centering sleeve in which the bit is revolubly mounted and in which it is axially movable, a second sleeve having a limited forward movement with relation tothe bit, said bit-centering sleeve normally projecting beyond the other sleeve and capable of being received wholly within the latter, and means for indicating the axial position of the centering-sleeve with relation to the second sleeve.

7. The combination with a screw-driver bit, of a spring-advanced bit-centering sleeve in which the bit is revolubly mounted and in which it is axially movable, a second sleeve having a limited forward movement with relation to the bit, and a limiting and indicating connection between said sleeves, for determining the limit ot' the axial movement of the centering-sleeve independently of the second sleeve, and also for indicating the relative positions of said sleeves, said bitcentering sleeve being normally projected beyond the second sleeve.

8. The combination with a screw-driver bit of a spring-advanced bit-centering sleeve in which the bit is revolubly mounted and in which it is axially movable, a grip inclosing and housing the centering-sleeve, said centering-sleeve normally projecting beyond the grip and held from independent rotary movement while capable of :independent axial movement with relation thereto, and a gage carried by the bit-centering sleeve for indicating the position of the centering-sleeve with relation to the grip.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ERROLL G. ROWLANDS.

W'i tnesses:

R. M. BOYD, W. W. BOWL/mns.

IIO 

